Back-to-Back Sailing Information & Notes
B2B (short hand terminology)
Taking two cruises on the same ship is back-to-back with no break
Honestly, I have received information both ways on this therefore I will report it both ways just encase as far as the process
I will update once we complete ours in 2023 (see below)
Back to Back Sailing Notes and Process as of May 26, 2023
Wish May/June 2023
Night before received a letter with directions and yellow business card that gets you back on the ship
Are you staying in the same room?
No need to pack up anything
They will clean your room first and it will be ready once back on the ship
Are you changing rooms?
Pack up the room and clothes into your suitcase
You can leave clothes hanging in the closet and they will get moved to the new room
Put luggage tags with new room number on the luggage
They will move both suitcases and hanging clothes
Room will be ready at normal time around 2 pm
Morning
***Check your email to answer the health questionnaire before trying to go through the port***
You can eat breakfast at your scheduled time and location or the buffet
You can get off any time but the latest to get off is last call around 9:30 am
Items to bring
Passports and or birth certificates (anything you used to get on the ship originally)
Check-in paperwork or QR code on your phone
Any medications you may need
Phone charges or ipads for when you wait in the port, or a book/magazine
Wear bathing suit if plan to go directly to the pool deck
Embarkation
There is a sign that states Back to Back cruisers sit here and they will come get you once the ship is ready
Typically, open between 11 – 11:20 am
You will be first on the ship
No name announcement
Nothing will be open for food beside coffee bar (see below)
***Amazing time to grab the best pool chairs for the day***
Some pools and slides will start to open so lines are very short
Room is typically ready once back on the ship and you can cross the line and go to it
First hour once on the ship
Marceline Market Coffee Bar
Free coffee including specialty coffee
Free muffins, pastries, and croissants (see above photos)
No other food is open until noon
Process
Normally, if you are booked on B2B cruises, and are booked in the same room, you do not need to pack up between cruises. (I believe this way is more likely)
All B2B cruisers are now required to pack up their rooms before disembarking.
Guests sailing on the next cruise pack all their luggage irrespective of whether they are remaining in the same stateroom or not.
If you are in the same stateroom, you can leave your packed luggage inside the stateroom.
If you are not going to be in the same stateroom, then please place all your packed luggage outside your door prior to debarking. It will be transferred to your new stateroom while you are ashore. We ask that you vacate your stateroom by 08:00 a.m. Your stateroom will be ready to occupy by 1:00pm which is earlier than future guests.
It is anticipated that back-to-back Guests will be able to embark again at approximately 11:00 a.m. Regular embarkation will start at 11:30 a.m.
Once back on the ship, not many food places will be open just yet
Before your first cruise ends, touch base with your stateroom host and let them know what your plan is and where your clothes are that need to be transferred.
You can even leave your clothes hanging and it will get moved to new room
You will receive instructions on the last night of the first cruise
If changing room need to be out by 8 am
Make sure to bring your passport and key to the world to get back on the ship
Recommend staying in the same room as it is best for packing
Disembarkation morning
Eat breakfast at either the main dining room that you had dinner at the night before or at Marceline Market/Cabanas
Bring bag with boarding documents, ID/passports, any medications, your Key to the World card, and the orange card that will be delivered to your stateroom on the last night.
The orange card is extremely important as that is what tells the crew that you are back-to-back guests.
Go through customs, and then you get to go back up the escalator to the waiting area.
In this area, they will check your documentation and IDs again.
The whole process takes about an hour before you’re back on the ship ahead of everybody else – even the Concierge guests
Remember that you’re boarding before the ship is even ready. The pools are being cleaned. The food in the restaurants is being prepared. Once everything is ready, you will have first access seeing as you’re already onboard. In the meantime though, you can relax on deck, hang out in your stateroom (it should be one of the first rooms accessible), or explore the ship.
Disney does have beverages and snacks typically located in the Cove Café and at one of the bars/lounges should you be hungry between sailings.
When you sail back-to-back on a Disney Cruise, you will get the Castaway Club gift once per sailing
Attempting B2B at two different ports
Looking at Port Canaveral and Port Miami
To take stress off see if there is a day in between the sailings
If it is the same day you are going to want very reliable transportation that is waiting for you at the port and not vice versa
Drive is a little over 3 hours based on traffic
I would recommend getting off the ship as early as possible to give you more time for traffic or delays
You will get to experience two different ships and itineraries
BENEFITS
Extra time to learn the ship
Dining requests
On the last night of your first cruise, your head server will probably ask if you want to stay with the same dining team. You can also put in any requests you like, such as a table alone, see if you can be moved to early dining, change dining rotations, or change dining teams. The head server will work to make any of those things happen.
Typically, you will be first people back on once you have cleared customs
Since you are in the port so early you will get first chance at stateroom upgrades at supervisor’s desk
Even if you changed rooms, they try to get yours done early. Disney would prefer you don’t go under the rope to get through to the staterooms while newly arrived cruisers are onboard and watching, so try to go before anyone else boards if you want to hang out in there.
With the ship empty amazing time for pictures of it
Sometimes a 3 and 4 night is cheaper than 7 night one
Quicker way to climb up the castaway club levels
Can see Castaway Cay twice
Can purchase double placeholders
Negatives
Same dining menus
Same shows and movies typically
Same activities on-board
Disembarkation day is a lost day because of lots of hours with nothing open
That level of fullness from the never-ending food continues to second cruise